Individuals who endured abuse by church officials have expressed fresh optimism following their initial meeting with Pope Leo at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads Ending Clergy Abuse, stated that the Pope's decision to engage with them so early in his papacy spoke volumes about his commitment to addressing the issue.
Worldwide Zero-Tolerance Approach Advocated
The organization is pushing for a worldwide zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who confesses to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has already been adopted in the United States.
The Pope recognized that there is "opposition in certain regions of the globe" to this proposal, according to Hickey.
"Everyone was practical when we acknowledged that there is pushback," they remarked.
Inherited Issue
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent issue that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the problem included an historic meeting on child abuse within the institution and revisions to canon law to clearly outlaw sexual abuse.
Personal Link
For the representative, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, the drive for worldwide adoption of the measure is personal. The Canadian advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was later transferred between different parishes.
"We trust this will set the tone for his papacy, because we aim to work with him," they stated. "We have the common objective, we want to eliminate abuse by religious officials."
Historic Meeting
Seven representatives of the organization, which includes survivors and supporters from more than 30 countries, met with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a full hour, during which the Pope "mostly listened to us," according to the representative.
The Pope was described as "quite empathetic" when hearing the account of a female survivor abused at a church-run institution for native youth in North America.
Hickey noted the leader was "tender" about their personal experience and seemed "modest, humorous, and very down to earth."
"Survivors have long wanted a seat at the table and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," Hickey stated. "I believed like he was sincere, realistic, and receptive and eager to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The organization is hoping that revisions to church regulations will enable the implementation of the zero-tolerance policy worldwide.
They have spoken with experts and gathered materials that they plan to submit to Pope Leo.
"He seemed interested in looking at it," Hickey remarked.
Accountability Highlighted
A recent Vatican-commissioned document highlighted the "necessity of a efficient process for the resignation and/or removal of Church leaders or personnel in cases of abuse or failure to act."
The document also pointed out that victims consistently emphasized the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be made responsible for negligence and cover-up."
Moving Forward
The representative revealed they told the pontiff at the start of their meeting: "This is as much a risk for him to participate in a conversation as it was for us."
Following the encounter, Hickey expressed hope for future change.
"We realise it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the end of the day, coming together and building a relationship and continuing to build that bond is a step in the right direction," they commented.
They added that they told with Pope Leo: "Even though it's a dark chapter, I feel like we can alter how the story concludes - he valued that."
